Flamestrike
Legend
The only way those stats would be an accurate reflection of this new thing is if it was identical to the old thing; and if that was the case, then there's no benefit to adding it to the game.
Yes there is. There is a huge benefit. It:
- Enables player concepts (see my Hexblade examples above). This increases fun for the player involved who can play the concept he wants in his head.
- Cuts down on DM workload. I can grab a Fire giant, remove its fire resistance, and reskin it as a 'War Ogre' and describe it as a huge Ogre, clad in plate armor and wielding a giant axe. No-one would be the wiser.
- Maintains mystery. A DM simply describing his spells differently, maintains mystery and cool factor with his players. A Hold Person described as phantasmal chains or a Magic Missile as laughing skulls other than darts etc. Plenty of examples of just this have been provided in this thread.